06th December 2012

Quietly, The Hoard waits, and rests. But not for long now..!

Current coffee obsessions (amongst the usual ones)…

Grind, and grinding, still.

Temperature, again! Scacing, PID settings, machine calibration, meter calibration (and the relationship between them all), stability, and variation. Measurement, and control, of temperature is an incredibly curious thing… Even with PID, a Scace (used carefully and as intended), various meters, and probes, etc, the picture is far from clear or straightforward.

Gloria has recently had just about every probe, temperature sensor, cartridge element, exhaust tube, and solenoid valve replaced, cleaned, or revived in some way, via Italy, Cornwall, and Bristol. So now thankfully function is tickety boo. Although frustratingly now it appears software may be leading the performance (theatrically). Engineers making investigations, continuously. Another new Bestmax filter/softener will be installed next week, in a diligent hardness-zero-tolerance approach, regardless of our low local ppm, and healthy signs from the existing filtered output from the groups. We are considering the Brita Purity 600 as an upgrade, to better determine the precise, prescribed time at which it is deemed necessary to replace filter cartridges, in order to avoid the slightest trace of scale (which Gloria is rather sensitive to, even in our relatively soft locality), but I’m trying to figure out if it’s just a very expensive way of telling me how much water she’s gone through… Maybe a few tablet tests periodically would do the same job?!

Lots of notes. How many separate Word coffee research diaries?!

New Rwanda BuF cafe Coop Red Bourbon, and Guatemalan Providencia, currently through the Cafetieres.